Systems and methods for recording and using information about conditions present in a house or other location

ABSTRACT

A data recorder may be installed in a house or other type of building in order to record conditions present at the building. The data recorded may be analyzed in order to forensically assess conditions that have led to damage or destruction of the building, or to prospectively forecast the possibility of future damage or destruction. A decision may be made based on analysis of the data, and an action may be taken based on the decision. Examples of data that may be recorded include temperature, wind speed, humidity, or any other information. Examples of decisions that may be made include insurance claim decisions, underwriting decisions, reinsurance decisions, alert decisions, or any other types of decisions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/474,551, filed May 29, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,289,160, which isherein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Houses and other buildings may be damaged or destroyed by a variety ofevents, and under a variety of circumstances. For example, a house couldbe destroyed by fire; by motion resulting from seismic activity; by thewind force of a hurricane; by flooding; or by various other mechanisms.There may be reason to assess the way in which the house was damaged ordestroyed. For example, to say that a house was destroyed by a hurricaneprovides very little information. Some houses may be able to withstandhigher wind speeds than other houses can. Or, some houses may withstandhurricane winds for a longer time than others can before succumbing tothe force of the wind. Moreover, hurricane winds destroy houses indifferent ways. In some cases, the destruction starts when the winds ripthe roof off the house, while other houses explode when the wind causesa pressure gradient to form between the inside and outside of the house.

Similarly, other types of events can destroy or damage a house, and thedestruction or damage could occur in a variety of ways. For example, anearthquake can damage a house by exerting mechanical pressure on thesupporting structures of the house, or by cracking the foundation, or byrupturing a gas main and thereby starting a fire.

SUMMARY

A data recorder may be installed in a house in order to measure and/orrecord conditions and/or events present at the house. For example, thedata recorder may record information such as temperature, humidity, windspeed, mechanical vibrations, or any other factors. The informationcaptured by the recorder may be used to analyze an event that causesdamage or destruction to the house. Or, the information may be used toanalyze conditions that are present at the house, in advance of anyactual damage event.

For example, if a hurricane strikes the area in which the house islocated, the recorder may capture the wind speed, temperature, andmovement at various points in time. If the house is destroyed ordamaged, it may be possible to determined, from the recorded data, theactual mechanism by which the house was destroyed, and/or how long thehouse withstood the hurricane-force winds. For example, motion isdetected at a recorder that is affixed to the house, this motion mayindicate a catastrophic failure of the house's structure. Thus,sustained winds of over one hundred miles per hour, followed by a suddenincrease in motion, may indicate that the house withstood the winds forsome number of hours and then gave way. On the other hand, the samesustained winds followed by a rapid increase in temperature may suggestthat the hurricane caused a fire (e.g., by breaking a gas main), and thefire ultimately destroyed the house. Various types of information may becollected by the recorder, and the information may be used to learn, insome detail, about the event that damaged or destroyed the house. Thisanalysis may be used to understand future risks, or may be used toassess whether an insurance claim is to be paid.

In addition to collecting data that allows for forensic analysis ofdamage, the recorder may also be used to collect information aboutconditions that are present at a house in advance of any actual damage.For example, the recorder might record the wind speed at the house, inorder to get a picture of the average wind speed over a period ofmonths. If there is a trend toward a higher wind speed, this fact maysuggest an increased likelihood of damage (e.g., trees may be morelikely to fall in the presence of higher winds). An insurance companycould use this information to plan for future losses. As anotherexample, the recorder could collect humidity readings, where a trendtoward higher humidity may indicate an increased likelihood of moulddamage. An insurance company could use this information to plan forfuture losses, or—even if an insurance policy does not cover moulddamage—the insurance company could provide a service to its policyholderby warning the policyholder of the gathering potential for mould damage.

This summary section is provided to introduce a selection of concepts ina simplified form that are further described subsequently in thedetailed description section. This summary section is not intended toidentify key features or essential features of the claimed subjectmatter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimedsubject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example building in which a datarecorder may be used.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example scenario in which a datacollection machine receives data, and in which the data is used.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an example process in which data may berecorded and used.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example computing environment that maybe used in connection with implementations of the subject matterdescribed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Many aircraft have a flight data recorder, or “black box”, which recordscertain information about the aircraft, such as altitude, airspeed,heading, attitude, etc. Typically, an aircraft's black box continuouslyrecords a half-minute window of data, so that at any point in time thelast half-minute of data can be read from the black box. Analysis ofthis data allows certain aspects of a crash to be reconstructed orinferred. The analysis may be used to determine how the crash occurred,which analysis may use to help prevent future crashes.

Aircraft are one of the first places in which such a data recorder hasbeen used. However, data recorders have not been used in house or otherbuildings. The damage or destruction of a building is an event thatcould be analyzed. For example, if a building is damaged or destroyed ina hurricane, one might want to know what wind speed was present at thetime of damage or destruction, and for how long hurricane-force windswere present. This type of information could be used to determine,forensically, how wind-resistant the building is. Or, if the building isdestroyed by a hurricane (in which both wind and rain are present), aninsurance company might want to know whether the building was destroyedby the rain or by the wind, since insurance might work differently forthese different causes of damage. Or, as another example, conditionsthat might damage a building may be gathering over time—e.g., changes intemperature or humidity over time may be creating conditions for aconcrete foundation to rot, and the owner of the building could bewarned if the temperature and humidity data are used to make a forecastof the danger.

The subject matter described herein provides a data recorder that may beused to collect data about a building. The data may be used forensicallyto analyze events that have damaged or destroyed the building. Or, thedata may be used to forecast a gathering danger to the building. Aninsurance carrier may be particularly interested in these types of data,since the data may help the insurance carrier to understand risk whenwriting new policies, or may help the carrier to plan for future lossesof its existing insured properties. For example, when a houseexperiences a hurricane, analyzing what conditions were present duringthe hurricane (e.g., wind speed, amount of rain, temperature, etc.) forhouses that survived with no damage, and performing a similar analysisfor houses that experienced damage or destruction, may help theinsurance carrier to understand how houses respond to hurricanes, whichmay help the carrier to underwrite future risks. Or, the carrier may beinterested in whether the hurricane destroyed the house by flooding orby wind, since these risks may be insured differently (e.g., wind damagemay be the carrier's responsibility, while flooding may be the federalgovernment's responsibility). Or, as another example, the carrier mayobserve that the prevailing wind speed in the vicinity of the house isincreasing, and the carrier may use this information to plan for futurelosses even if none have occurred. Moreover, if the carrier becomesaware of an additional risk to the house (such as an increased windspeed), the carrier might, as a service to its insured, inform theinsured of the risk and recommend protective action (such as reinforcingthe windows, removing trees that are near to the house, etc.).

In the foregoing examples, a data recorder records conditions such aswind speed, temperature, rainfall, and humidity. However, any type ofinformation could be recorded. Some additional examples of data aredescribed subsequently, although the subject matter herein is notlimited to the recordation or use of any particular type of data.Moreover, the foregoing examples describe the use of recorded data inthe context of insurance underwriting, although data could be recordedand/or used for any purpose.

Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows an example building in which adata recorder 102 may be used. In the example of FIG. 1, the building isshown as a house 104, although data recorder 102 could be stored in anytype of building. Moreover, in the example of FIG. 1, data recorder 102is shown as being stored near the top of house 104 (e.g., in the attic).Storing data recorder 102 at a high location in the building may help toprevent data recorder 102 from being buried underground in the eventthat house 104 collapses, and thus this location may aid in recovery ofdata recorder 104 after a catastrophe. However, data recorder 102 couldbe stored in any location, and its position is not limited to theexample shown.

Data recorder 102 may comprise, or otherwise may make use of, variouscomponents 106. Some examples of components 106 are shown in FIG. 1,although the list of components 106 that is shown in FIG. 1 is notintended to be exhaustive; the subject matter herein applies to any typeof data recorder 102, regardless of the type of components that areemployed.

In the example shown, components 106 may include a temperature sensor108. Temperature sensor 108 may detect the temperature present at thebuilding. For example, the temperature may rise and fall with the changeof seasons and/or the time of day. Moreover, in the event of a fire, thetemperature present at the building may rise quickly—possibly to a levelof extreme high heat. Temperature sensor 108 may make use of probesplaced at various locations in and around the building, in order tocollect a representative profile of the temperature present at thebuilding. These probes may be connected to data recorder 102 by wire, orby a wireless technology. For example, if data recorder 102 ispositioned in the attic of the building, the temperature may be higherthan the general temperature present in the building. Thus, probesplaced at various locations (e.g., in the basement, on the variouslevels of a multi-level building, in different rooms that receivedifferent amounts of sun, etc.), in order to obtain an accurate pictureof the temperature present at the building. Moreover, data recorder 102may record both the indoor and outdoor temperature present at thebuilding. For example, data about the indoor temperature, the outdoortemperature, and/or the differential between indoor and outdoortemperatures, may be used as part of some analysis model, and thus allof the different values could be stored. Data recorder 102 may store anabstract representation of temperature (e.g., the average indoortemperature, as collected at all of the probes), or may store eachtemperature reading individually so that the individual readings may beprovided as input to an analysis model.

Humidity sensor 109 may detect the humidity present at the building.Humidity sensor may comprise the humidity-detection hardware, or mayemploy one or more remote probes, which may be located inside and/oroutside the building. Humidity readings from one or more locationsinside and/or outside the building could thus be recorded by datarecorder 102.

Water pressure sensor 110 may monitor water pressure in the plumbingsystem in the building. Water pressure sensor 110 may have one or moreprobes attached to various locations of the building's plumbing, andthus data recorder 102 may record the pressure present in the plumbing,and/or any changes in that pressure. For example, plumbing systems maybe designed to withstand a certain amount of pressure, and if thepressure rises above that amount, the plumbing system may be at risk forleaking, bursting, or other failure. Thus, data recorder 102 may recordthe water pressure that is present in the plumbing system at variouspoints in time.

Wind speed sensor 112 may record the wind speed present at the building.For example, one or more wind sensors may be placed outside thebuilding, at the wind speed and/or direction may be recorded at variouspoints in time. Data recorder 102 may record these wind speed and/orwind direction readings. The wind speed may be used by an analysis modelfor various purposes. For example, the wind speed and/or direction atspecific points in time during a hurricane may help to understand howwell the building withstood a hurricane. If the wind speed rises to acertain level just before a house is destroyed in a hurricane, this factmay be used to estimate the amount of wind that the house couldwithstand. Or, as another example, measurements of wind speed and/ordirection taken at a time other than when a hurricane is occurring couldbe used to forecast the risk that a house will suffer damage. Evennon-hurricane-force winds can cause damage to a building, and an insurermight be interested to know if the prevailing wind speed in the vicinityof the building is increasing or decreasing. This information could beused to plan for future losses and/or to make future underwritingdecisions.

Motion sensor 114 may sense motion in the building to which datarecorder 102 is attached. Typically, buildings do not movesignificantly, except in the event of a catastrophe. Motion may indicatethat the building is sliding down a hill (e.g., in the event of anextreme flood or mudslide), or is experiencing a measurable earthquake.Moreover, in the event of a complete collapsed, it is likely that datarecorder 102 (or a motion sensor probe used by data recorder 102) willmove, and thus such motion could be used to identify the moment at whichthe building collapsed. An analysis model could use the informationabout motion in various ways. For example, if an abrupt motion indicatesthat the building collapsed at a certain point in time, then data suchas temperature, wind speed, etc., could be used to determine what washappening (e.g., fire, high winds, etc.) at the time of the collapse.This information may be used to understand the cause of the collapse.Or, as another example, the information could be used to assess aninsurance claim (e.g., an insurer's liability for wind damage might bedifferent than for fire damage, and thus knowing what was happening atthe moment of the collapse might be used to determine what, if any,settlement is due to an insured).

Electrical system analyzer 116 may be used to assess the condition ofthe building's electrical system. For example, potentiometers may beconnected to various points in the building's electrical system tomeasure voltage. Readings from the potentiometers could be used todetermine if the voltage is persistently too high, or too low, or if thevoltage frequently drops and/or spikes. Such conditions may suggest thatthe building it at risk for fire. Other types of electrical measurementscould be taken, such as readings of current flowing through theelectrical system. Any type of data about the building's electricalsystem could be stored by data recorder 102.

Positional component 118 may record the position of data recorder 102.For example, positional component 118 may be, or may comprise, a GlobalPositioning System (GPS) receiver, which may allow the position of datarecorder 102 to be determined. Or, as another example, positionalcomponent 118 may use triangulation technology that communicates withfixed points (such as wireless communication towers) to determine itsposition. While a building normally does not move, positional component118 may allow data recorder 102 to be recovered in the event of acatastrophe. For example, if a building explodes, or is otherwisecatastrophically damaged, data recorder 102 may be propelled to anunknown location. Positional component 118 may record the position ofdata recorder 102, which data recorder 102 could communicate to anexternal source, thereby allowing data recorder 102 to be found.

Clock 120 may keep track of time for data recorder 102, thereby allowinga given item of data to be associated with the time at which the datawas captured. For example, data recorder 102 may recurrently capturereadings of temperature, wind speed, humidity, etc., and may timestampeach reading. The time at which the readings are taken may be used toreconstruct events. For example, the timestamps on wind speed readingstaken during a hurricane may allow it to be determined, after thehurricane has occurred, how quickly the wind speed rose in the vicinityof the building.

Storage component 122 may be used to store data readings and/ortimestamps in data recorder 102. For example, storage component 122 maycomprise, or may otherwise make use of, magnetic or optical disks,volatile random-access memory, non-volatile random-access memory, or anyother type of storage device. There may be sufficient data storagecapacity to store several hours or several days worth of readings. Forexample, the sever part of a hurricane might last for half a day, a fullday, or several days. Storage component 122 might have sufficientstorage capacity to allow twelve or more hours of readings to be stored,thereby allowing forensic reconstruction of how the hurricane affectedthe building during the full time that the building was experiencing thehurricane's impact.

Communication component 124 may be used to communicate recordedinformation from data recorder 102 to an external location.Communication component 124 may be, or may comprise, a networkcommunication card such as an Ethernet card, a WiFi card, or any othercommunication mechanism. However, communication component 124 could takeany form and is not limited to these examples. Communication component124 might encrypt data that it communicates, in order to protect thesecurity and/or privacy of the data. Communication component maycommunicate data recorded by data recorder 102 (e.g., data stored instorage component 122) to an external location, such as data collectionmachine 126. For example, data collection machine 126 may be operated byan insurance company, and may collect data from data recorder 102 inorder to learn about risks to the building in which data recorder 102 islocated. Communication component 124 may initiate communication sessionswith data collection machine 126. Or, as another example, datacollection machine 126 may contact data recorder 102, throughcommunication component 124, in order to receive data that has beenstored by data recorder 102.

As previously noted, data recorder 102 may communicate its data to adata collection machine 126. FIG. 2 shows an example in which datacollection machine 126 receives such data, and in which the data is usedin various ways.

In the example of FIG. 2, communication component 124 (which is shown,in FIG. 1, as being part of, or used by, data recorder 102) communicatesdata 202 to data collection machine 126. Data collection machine 126 maycomprise, or otherwise may cooperate with, a data analysis component204, which may analyze data 202 in some manner. Data analysis component204 may comprise various types of sub-components, such as forensicanalyzer 206 and prospective analyzer 208. In general, forensic analyzer206 may perform a post hoc analysis, such as that used to understand thedetails of how a building was damaged or destroyed during a hurricane, afire, etc. Moreover, in general prospective analyzer 208 may analyzedata to assess the risk of destruction and/or damage that has not yethappened. Forensic analyzer 206 and prospective analyzer 208 may overlapsomewhat in terms of the techniques they employ—e.g., both of thesesub-components may analyze facts such as temperature, wind speed, etc.,and attempt to draw some conclusions based on whether and/or how thesefacts have changed over time.

The analysis performed by data analysis component 204 may be used tomake various types of decisions 210. FIG. 2 shows some examples ofdecisions 210 that may be made based on analysis, although the specificdecisions 210 that are shown do not constitute an exhaustive list. Anytype of decision may be made.

One type of decision that may be made is a claims decision 212. Forexample, if a claim is made against an insurance policy, whether theclaim is to be paid (or the amount of the claim to be paid) may dependon how a building was damaged or destroyed. Many homeowner's insurancepolicies insure against fire and earthquake differently (e.g., somepolicies cover fire but not earthquake), so if an earthquake strikes anda building is found collapsed and burnt, there are at least twopossibilities as to how the building arrived in its current condition:(1) the building collapsed from the earthquake and then its collapsedremains burnt, or (2) the earthquake started a fire that burnt thebuilding, and the burnt remains collapsed. If fire is a covered risk andearthquake is not, then it may be relevant to determine whether (1) or(2) is what happened, since (2) would be a covered loss event and (1)would not be a covered loss event. Thus, analysis of data from a datarecorder may be used to determine how a building was damaged ordestroyed, which may be relevant in determining whether and/or how topay a claim.

Another type of decision that may be made based on data from a datarecorder is a subrogation decision 214. For example, as thepreviously-described earthquake/fire example shows, the cause of abuilding's damage or destruction may be ambiguous. Whether to pay aclaim is one type of decision that may be made based on how destructionand/or damage occurred, but another decision is whether to subrogate theclaim. For example, property insurance may cover losses by fire andflood, but flood losses may be covered by a government insurance programand may be subrogatable. If a building collapses in a hurricane, it maybe unclear whether the building collapsed from wind or from floodwaters,and yet this distinction may determine whether to subrogate the claim.Data from a data recorder may be used to make such a decision.

Another type of decision that may be made based on data from a datarecorder is an underwriting decision 216. For example, an insurancecompany may collect data about a house, and may use this data todetermine whether to continue insuring that house, or to set the premiumfor insuring the house. Or, data about houses in a geographic area maybe collected, and the insurance company may use this data to determinethe general level of risk in the area. For example, if analysis of thedata from fifty houses in a particular geographic location shows thataverage wind speed has been increasing over the past few years, then theinsurance company may use this information to determine that thelikelihood of losses due to wind damage is increasing, and may makecoverage and/or premium pricing decision accordingly.

Another type of decision that may be made based on data from a datarecorder is a reinsurance decision 218. As previously discussed, thedata may be used in making underwriting decisions. Along the same lines,an insurance company may use this data to determine how muchre-insurance to purchase. If analysis of the data from the data recorderindicates that the insurance company's expected loss will exceed thecompany's tolerance for absorbing the losses, then the company maychoose to purchase reinsurance. Thus, reinsurance decisions are yetanother type of decision that may be made based on data from a datarecorder.

Another type of decision that may be made based on data from a datarecorder is an alert decision 220. For example, if prospective analysisof collected data indicates that a house is at risk for some type ofdamage (e.g., foundation cracking, due to rotting caused by highhumidity), an alert may be issued to the building owner in order toencourage the owner to take remedial action.

FIG. 3 shows, in the form of a flow chart, an example process in whichdata may be recorded and used. Before turning to a description of FIG.3, it is noted that the flow diagram shown therein is described, by wayof example, with reference to components shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,although this process may be carried out in any system and is notlimited to the scenario shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Additionally, the flowdiagrams in FIG. 3 shows an example in which stages of a process arecarried out in a particular order, as indicated by the lines connectingthe blocks, but the various stages shown in this diagram can beperformed in any order, or in any combination or sub-combination.

At 302, a data recorder may be placed in a building. For example, datarecorder 102 may be placed in house 104, as shown in FIG. 1 (althoughany type or number of data recorders could be placed in any type ofbuilding).

At 304, the recorder collects data. Mechanism by which the recorder maycollect data have been previously described in connection with FIG. 1.

At 306, contact is made between the data recorder and a mechanism thatcollects data from the recorder. An example of such a mechanism is datacollection machine 126 (shown in FIG. 1), although the subject matterherein is not limited to this example. As previously described, contactbetween the data recorder and a collection mechanism may be initiatedwhen the collection mechanism contacts the data recorder (at 308), orwhen the mechanism receives a contact request from the data recorder (at310).

At 312, following the initial contact between the recorder and thecollection mechanism, the collection mechanism may receive data from therecorder. At 314, the data may be analyzed. As noted previously inconnection with FIG. 2, the analysis may include a forensic analysis (at316) and/or a prospective analysis (at 318). At 320, a decision may bemade based on the analysis that has been performed. Examples of suchdecisions, and examples of techniques that may be used in making suchdecisions, have been described previously in connection with FIG. 2. At322, a tangible action may be taken based on the decision that is made.For example, if prospective analysis indicates that a building may beheading toward damage, an alert could be issued and communicated to thebuilding's owner, and the owner could take remedial action such asaffecting a physical condition present at the building (e.g., reducingthe temperature and/or humidity level, installing new equipment in thebuilding, repairing an existing physical condition in the building,etc.).

The subject matter described herein may be implemented through the useof a computer system, or other type of device that has some computingmechanism(s). FIG. 4 shows an example computing environment in whichexample embodiments and aspects may be implemented. The computing systemenvironment is only one example of a suitable computing environment andis not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use orfunctionality.

Numerous other general purpose or special purpose computing systemenvironments or configurations may be used. Examples of well knowncomputing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may besuitable for use include, but are not limited to, personal computers(PCs), server computers, handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based systems, network PCs, minicomputers,mainframe computers, embedded systems, distributed computingenvironments that include any of the previously-described systems ordevices, and the like.

Computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer may be used. Generally, program modules includeroutines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., thatperform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types.Distributed computing environments may be used where tasks are performedby remote processing devices that are linked through a communicationsnetwork or other data transmission medium. In a distributed computingenvironment, program modules and other data may be located in both localand remote computer storage media including memory storage devices.

With reference to FIG. 4, an example system for implementing aspectsdescribed herein includes a computing device, such as computing device400. In its most basic configuration, computing device 400 typicallyincludes at least one processing unit 402 and memory 404. Depending onthe exact configuration and type of computing device, memory 404 may bevolatile (such as random access memory (RAM)), non-volatile (such asread-only memory (ROM), flash memory, etc.), or some combination of thetwo. This most basic configuration is illustrated in FIG. 4 by dashedline 406.

Computing device 400 may have additional features/functionality. Forexample, computing device 400 may include additional storage (removableand/or non-removable) including, but not limited to, magnetic or opticaldisks or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG. 4 byremovable storage 408 and non-removable storage 410.

Computing device 400 typically includes a variety of computer readablemedia. Computer readable media can be any available media that can beaccessed by computing device 400 and includes both volatile andnon-volatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way ofexample, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprisecomputer storage media and communication media.

Computer storage media includes volatile and non-volatile, removable andnon-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storageof information such as computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules or other data. Memory 404, removable storage 408, andnon-removable storage 410 are all examples of computer storage media.Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM,electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flashmemory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD)or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magneticdisk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other mediumwhich can be used to store the desired information and which can beaccessed by computing device 400. Any such computer storage media may bepart of computing device 400.

Computing device 400 may also contain communications connection(s) 412that allow the device to communicate with other devices. Communicationsconnection(s) 412 is an example of communication media. Communicationmedia typically embodies computer readable instructions, datastructures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signalsuch as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes anyinformation delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means asignal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed insuch a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example,and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as awired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such asacoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared and other wireless media. Theterm computer readable media as used herein includes both storage mediaand communication media.

Computing device 400 may also have input device(s) 414 such as keyboard,mouse, pen, voice input device, touch input device, etc. Outputdevice(s) 416 such as a display, speakers, printer, etc. may also beincluded. All these devices are well known in the art and need not bediscussed at length here.

It should be understood that the various techniques described herein maybe implemented in connection with hardware or software or, whereappropriate, with a combination of both. Thus, the methods and apparatusof the presently disclosed subject matter, or certain aspects orportions thereof, may take the form of program code (i.e., instructions)embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, harddrives, or any other machine-readable storage medium wherein, when theprogram code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as acomputer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the presentlydisclosed subject matter. In the case of program code execution onprogrammable computers, the computing device generally includes aprocessor, a storage medium readable by the processor (includingvolatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least oneinput device, and at least one output device. One or more programs mayimplement or utilize the processes described in connection with thepresently disclosed subject matter, e.g., through the use of an API,reusable controls, or the like. Such programs are preferably implementedin a high level procedural or object oriented programming language tocommunicate with a computer system. However, the program(s) can beimplemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In any case,the language may be a compiled or interpreted language, and combinedwith hardware implementations.

Although example embodiments may refer to utilizing aspects of thepresently disclosed subject matter in the context of one or morestand-alone computer systems, the subject matter is not so limited, butrather may be implemented in connection with any computing environment,such as a network or distributed computing environment. Still further,aspects of the presently disclosed subject matter may be implemented inor across a plurality of processing chips or devices, and storage maysimilarly be effected across a plurality of devices. Such devices mightinclude personal computers, network servers, and handheld devices, forexample.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above.Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed asexample forms of implementing the claims.

What is claimed:
 1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprisinginstructions stored thereon executable by a processor to: communicatewith a data recorder installed in a building at least partially coveredby an insurance policy; receive data collected by the data recorder, thedata representing at least one physical condition present at thebuilding; analyze the data, wherein analyzing includes comparing thedata to data collected by another data recorder installed in anotherbuilding and representing the at least one physical condition at theother building; issue an alert to an owner of the building based on theat least one physical condition present at the building; and take atangible action based on the analysis.
 2. The system of claim 1, whereinthe instructions include instructions executable to initiate thecommunication with the data recorder.
 3. The system of claim 1, whereinthe instructions include instructions executable to communicateresponsive to receiving a request for the communication from the datarecorder.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the data recorder includesor uses a temperature sensor, and wherein the physical conditionincludes a temperature present inside or outside the building.
 5. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the data recorder includes a wind speedsensor, and wherein the physical condition includes a wind speed presentat the building.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the data recorderincludes a dock, and wherein the data include timestamps indicatingtimes at which the data were collected.
 7. The system of claim 1,wherein the data recorder includes, or makes use of: a sensor thatrecords a condition of a plumbing system present at the building; or asensor that records a condition of an electrical system present at thebuilding.
 8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprisinginstructions stored thereon executable by a processor to: receive datafrom a data recorder located at a building at least partially covered byan insurance policy, said data representing one or more physicalconditions present at the building; analyze the data to determine: arisk of damage present at the building; and a cause of the damage;wherein analyzing includes comparing the data to data collected byanother data recorder located at another building and representing theone or more physical conditions present at the other building; and makea decision associated with whether to issue an alert to an owner of thebuilding based on the risk of damage.
 9. The system of claim 8, whereinthe building has been destroyed, and wherein the analysis comprises aforensic analysis to determine a cause of destruction of the building.10. The system of claim 8, wherein the analysis comprises a forensicanalysis to determine a behavior of the building under a set of physicalconditions.
 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions includeinstructions executable to analyze the data to determine a resistance ofthe building to wind, and wherein the data include information aboutwind speed present at the building.
 12. The system of claim 8, whereinthe instructions include instructions executable to analyze the data todetermine a risk of mold, or of decay of the building, and wherein thedata include information collected by a temperature sensor and ahumidity sensor.
 13. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructionsinclude instructions executable to analyze the data to determine a riskof future wind damage to the building, and wherein the data includeinformation associated with wind speed present at the building during aparticular period of time.
 14. The system of claim 8, wherein theinstructions include instructions executable to analyze the data anddata collected from at least one additional building to determinephysical conditions present in a vicinity of the building.
 15. A system,comprising: a data recorder configured to gather data associated with aplurality of physical conditions present at a budding; another datarecorder configured to gather data associated with the plurality ofphysical conditions present at another building; and a computing device,configured to: receive the data from the data recorders; analyze thedata, wherein analyzing includes comparing the data to data collected bythe another data recorder installed in another building and representingthe at least one physical condition at the other building; determine acause of a past damage to the building based on the data; determine arisk of a future damage to the building based on the data; and take atangible action based on at least one of the determined cause of thepast damage and the determined risk of the future damage.
 16. The systemof claim 15, wherein the computing device is configured to determinewhether to pay an insurance claim for the past damage of the building,based on the determined cause of the past damage.
 17. The system ofclaim 15, wherein the computing device is configured to determinewhether to subrogate a claim for the past damage to the building basedon the determined cause of the past damage.
 18. The system of claim 15,wherein the computing device is configured to determine whether tounderwrite an insurance policy on the building based on the determinedrisk of the future damage.
 19. The system of claim 15, wherein thecomputing device is configured to determine a price at which to insurethe building based on the determined risk of the future damage.
 20. Thesystem of claim 15, wherein the computing device is configured todetermine whether to purchase reinsurance based on the determined riskof the future damage.